Faith-Based Agencies

CATHOLIC CHARITIES (Contact any Catholic church in your area)
www.ccano.org
Archdiocese of New Orleans
1000 Howard Avenue, Suite 200
New Orleans, Louisiana, 70113
(504) 523-3755

Catholic Charities assistance programs provide food, meals, crisis help, housing, employment, job fairs, adult education, emergency assistance, and other aid to qualified families of all backgrounds, races and religions.

Celebrate Recovery is a recovery program based on eight principles from the Beatitudes. www.celebraterecovery.com
Many churches in southeast Louisiana have their own versions of Celebrate Recovery programs. The following local church participates in the Celebrate Recovery program:

Celebration Church Celebrate Recovery meets at their Metairie campus every Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. (52 weeks a year) with a goal of allowing people to be changed by sharing their experiences, strengths, hopes with one another and celebrating God's healing power in their lives through the Christ centered 12 Steps and 8 Biblical Recovery Principles.
6:30 p.m.- 7:30 p.m. is a Large Group Session
7:30 p.m.- 8:30 p.m. is Open Share Groups
A program entitled "Celebration Station" has been specifically designed to help meet the needs of Celebrate Recovery families. While parents explore topics that bring healing and wholeness, their children discover the same truths with age-appropriate experiences featuring music, interactive lessons and video testimonies from biblical characters. It is fun, life changing and preventative.
"KIDZTOWN" is a program designed to 1) learn about Jesus; 2) live for Jesus; and let others know about Jesus; as songs are sung, stories are read, and more.

Family Service of Greater New Orleans, a non-profit organization
2515 Canal Street, Suite 201
New Orleans, La. 70119
Phone: (504) 822-0800
Fax: (504) 822-0831

Family Service provides services credentialed through Department of Health and Hospitals which include: community psychiatric and treatment, crisis intervention, crisis stabilization, individual living/skills building, psychosocial rehabilitation services for children, psychosocial rehabilitation services for adults, treatment planning, outpatient therapy by licensed practitioners and substance abuse treatment. Your out-of-pocket per session fee will be based on your documented gross family income and the number of people dependent upon that income.

Families Against Mandatory Minimums, Julie Stewart, President, is a national non-profit organization focused on amending existing sentencing guidelines, more specifically, amending existing laws that mandate lengthy minimum sentences without mitigating individual circumstances. The organization is also called FAMM. For more information visit www.famm.org/

Friends Outside is a non-profit community-based organization that has been providing programs and services to families and individuals involved in the criminal justice system since 1995. They believe in respect for others, the capacity of human beings to change, and the importance of the family and the community. http://friendsoutside.org

Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Louisiana, Inc.,
www.goodwillno.org
Jada Boudoin, Ex-Offender Program Manager
jboudoin@goodwillno.org
3400 Tulane Ave., Suite 1000
New Orleans, La. 70119
Direct: (504) 456-3933 Cell: (504) 234-6304 Fax: (504) 456-2698

Salvation Army of Greater New Orleans
salvationarmyalm.org/nola/
4526 S. Claiborne Ave., New Orleans, La.
(504) 899-4569

The Pathway of Hope program provides a network of support, a sense of community, Holistic programs, and spiritual guidance, and provides connections to job training, health services, childcare and education, housing options, legal services and more.

Salvation Army Thrift Store
100 Jefferson Highway, Jefferson, Louisiana 70121
(504) 835-9755 (504) 835-7130

Monday-Tuesday & Thursday-Saturday 10:00 am-6:00pm
Wednesday 10:00 am-7:00pm

Second Harvest Greater New Orleans & Southeast Louisiana
700 Edwards Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70123
(504) 734-1322
http://no-hunger.org/

We have a mission to end hunger in South Louisiana by providing food access, advocacy, education, and disaster response. And with the support of people like you, we provide more than 28 million meals to 210,000 individuals annually.

Travelers Aid Society of GNO
www.travelersaidneworleans.org
1530 Gravier Street
New Orleans, La. 70112
(Located in the V.A. Community Resource and Referral Center)
Mon., Tues., Wed., and Friday 7:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Thurs. 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
The Way to Self-Sufficiency
Food, Clothing, Compassion, Counseling, Jobs, Hope, a Home...
Traveler's Aid Crisis-Intervention Counseling Program

    *Crisis Counseling for homeless individuals and families on a walk-in basis;
    *Safe Day Shelter;
    *Provision of shelter vouchers and bus tokens for clients fully engaged in
    case planning/problem resolution;
    *Greyhound transportation assistance (for those who are homeless with
    no income & unable to work-budget permitting)
    *Referrals to our Self-Help Employment Program (SHEP). Clients will receive
    employment counseling, ID, bus tokens, meal coupons, work uniforms/tools,
    shelter, storage of belongings, phone/internet access, etc.;
    *Provision of personal hygiene items;
    *Rental/Utilities Assistance provided through our Permanent Supportive Housing
    and Rapid Rehousing Programs (when funding is available);
    *Referrals for long-term mental health assistance;
    *Telephone Access/Mailing Address;
    *Referrals to community resources, job fairs, & local employment events;
    *Collaboration with numerous agencies;
    *Presentations to community based organizations and businesses, Etc..;

Volunteers of America Greater New Orleans
https://www.voagno.org/
4152 Canal Street,
New Orleans, Louisiana 70119
(504) 482-2130

Contact Volunteers of America regarding programs of job placement, prison residential Re-Entry services (St. Anthony Street, New Orleans, Louisiana (504) 944-5678, family and senior housing, and high quality, innovative services for disadvantaged and disconnected children and youth, including programs for continuum of care and support for your people and their families with prevention, early intervention, crisis intervention and long term services.
Programs include Adoption, The Lighthouse Program, Mentoring Children of Promise, Positive Pathways Program, and Fresh Food Factor, and more. The Lighthouse Program is designed to stimulate the continuation of school day learning while offering students the opportunity to discover new abilities and skills in an afterschool setting.
Mentoring Children of Promise focuses on the statistic that 70% of the children with a parent in prison will one day find themselves behind bars too. This program matches caring adults, as mentors, with youth who have a parent in prison. Call Sherlyn Hughes, Program Manager, at (504) 835-3005. Be advised that there is usually always a waiting list of children to be placed in this program. Call to place your child on this waiting list.
Positive Pathways Program is helping young offenders change their lives for the better by providing employment training and other support services.
Fresh Food Factor provides a local, healthy, and affordable meal service solution for educational programs.
Regarding job opportunities, VOA offers ex-offenders training in programs in the fields of culinary arts, hospitality, broadband technology, and much more.

Food for Families, a Catholic Charities assistance program, distributes food and groceries across a number of Louisiana churches and parishes, including Jefferson Parish and the City of New Orleans. Distribution sites include Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, 1720 St. Bernard Ave., New Orleans, Louisiana, and Hope Haven, 1108 Barataria Blvd., Marrero, Louisiana. Dial (800) 522-3333 for the nearest distribution site and hours of operation.

Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is a federally funded energy bill assistance program. Financial help in the form both struggling and lower income households who need assistance paying for home energy bills year round. This includes emergency bill assistance if a household's home energy service is either shut off or about to be disconnected.
Both renters and homeowners who are responsible for paying their home energy and/or heating bills who have a low or fixed income are eligible for this support. You do not need to have an unpaid utility bill to receive energy assistance, and you can also receive this support without being on welfare. Each state also has it's own criteria that need to be met to apply for LIHEAP.
The Louisiana Housing Finance Agency works closely with various non-profits and other organizations, such as the Louisiana Association for Community Action Partnerships (LACAP). The LIHEAP will provide an energy bill payment and/or a so called in-kind benefit up to a maximum of $475.00. However, the amount paid can change based on federal government funding. The term in-kind benefits can mean space heater (vented or electric), fan, air conditioner repair, and/or funds to pay for a heater or furnace repair. For more LIHEAP information call 888-454-2001.

Other Catholic Charities programs include assistance from the Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program; and Catholic Charity financial assistance.

Cornerstone Builders: Cornerstone Builders is a re-entry program for formerly incarcerated men and women based on rehabilitation through service. Cornerstone Builders is grounded in the belief that community service equips people with the skills and assets necessary to be responsible, productive citizens. This prisoner re-entry program acts as the foundation of a transformative experience that benefits not only the individual, but also the families and victims of crimes and society.

Re-entry 72 is an initiative of Cornerstone Builders in conjunction with the local sheriffs’ offices to provide emergency housing, immediate employment and support services to persons within the first 72 hours of release from local correctional facilities.

Studies have shown that immediate employment and shelter assistance within this crucial period of time greatly reduces the likelihood of recidivism. In Louisiana, 48 percent of ex-offenders are likely to be back in jail within 5 years. However, if released prisoners are able to find and hold a job for 3 years, that rate drops by more than 50 percent. Based on an AmeriCorps program, Re-entry 72 connects former inmates to community resources including substance abuse and mental health counseling, legal aid, food and clothing. Participants are able to earn an income and receive intensive case management while looking for a job.

Cornerstone Americorps Service Program:
Persons returning home from prison are able to earn a modest stipend while participating in a service-related work opportunity.

FAMILY REUNIFICATION: Bus Rides to Prisons
Since 2007, Cornerstone Builders’ Bus Project has been providing free monthly bus service for New Orleans families who have loved ones in Louisiana detention facilities. By providing free transportation for family visits, we promote healthy relationships, encourage a network for family support, provide an incentive for good behavior by inmates, and inspire better cooperation between inmates and prison officials. Cornerstone Builders’ Bus Project travels to all 13 state correctional facilities and connects hundreds of family members with incarcerated loved ones each year. Bus trips are paid for by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office and a group of cyclists called “NOLA to Angola” who raise more than $20,000 a year for the program The overriding mission of the NOLA to Angola bike ride is to raise funds in support of the Cornerstone Builders' Bus Project. The Bus Project provides a free monthly bus service that helps New Orleanians visit loved ones in five Louisiana detention Facilities:

    Louisiana State Penitentiary (Angola)
    Dixon Correctional Institute
    Tallulah Center for Women
    Avoyelles Correctional Center
    Rayburn Corrrectional Center

At least once a month, the Bus Project rents a 55 passenger bus and makes the trek to the above listed facilities from New Orleans at an average of $1,000 per trip. Cornerstone can afford to run about 12 to 15 buses a year.

Cornerstone Kids Mentoring Program
Cornerstone Kids is a mentoring program for children ages 4-18 who have at least one incarcerated parent. This program relies on volunteers from the community to provide support and encouragement to the children. Mentors make a one-year commitment to develop a positive relationship with the mentee. Through one-on-one activities and group meetings, mentors provide support and encouragement that promotes trust, confidence, enthusiasm, personal growth, and positive thinking.

For more information or to become involved in any of these Cornerstone programs please contact Ronnie Moore at (504)-451-8351

Connecting Kids to Health Coverage, National Campaign Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) provide free of low-cost quality health coverage to children up to age 19...including benefits like doctor and dental visits, immunizations, vision care, prescription drugs, mental health services and more. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Connecting Kids to Coverage National Campaign provides resources and technical assistance to support enrollment efforts. Help spread the word to parents of uninsured but eligible children by using free Campaign resources. All materials are available in English and Spanish; select materials are available in other languages. Campaign materials may be downloaded from InsureKidsNow.gov.
CMS can also customize materials with your organization's logo and local contact information at no cost...a customization guide is available on ureKidsNow.gov., under "Outreach Tool Library" in the center of the screen. Once your materials are customized, you take care of the printing and start spreading the word!

A Sampling of Available Materials:
1. Print Materials to Educate Families Seeking Health Care for Their Children. The Campaign has a variety of outreach materials available to distribute in offices, at schools, and at community events. Materials include special messaging around year-round enrollment and Back-to-School, Allergies & Asthma, and Cold & Flu seasons.
2. Social Media Tools. The Connecting Kids to Coverage National Campaign has social media graphics, web banners, and other tools to help spread the word about Medicaid and CHIP enrollment. Follow us at IKNGov and use the #Enroll365 hashtag to participate in the children's health coverage conversation.
3. Radio Public Service Announcement Live Read Scripts. Connecting Kids to Coverage Radio PSA live read scripts can help you spread the word about Medicaid and CHIP through local media channels. Be sure to check out the "10 Tips for Putting Public Service Announcements to Work" guide listed along with the PSA scripts.

Stay Informed. Sign up to receive the Connecting Kids to Coverage National Campaign Notes eNewsletter. Learn about new resources and stay informed of upcoming webinars and other Campaign activities. You can find instructions for signing up under the "Campaign Notes eNewsletter" link on InsureKidsNow.gov.
For more information contact: ConnectingKids@cms.hhs.gov